Keyhole illuminator



March 1, 195()A c. M. PHILLIPS ETAI- KEYHOLE ILLUMINATOR Filed March 13, 1956 .d Char/ A /BY C FTC/125155K A0.1121720,

` ATTORNEYS.

HQI.

United States Patent i @hice KEYHOLE ILLUMINATOR Charles M. Phillips and Francis X. Dinino, Buffalo, N.Y.

Application March 13, 1956, Serial No. 571,186

2 Claims. (Cl. 24o-2.13)

This invention relates to devices for illuminating the keyholes of doors or similar closures and more particularly to such a device wherein a keyhole may be illuminated in a simple and convenient manner as a part of the operation of inserting a key into a lock.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved keyhole illuminator having a self-contained lamp and lamp `energizing means in such aform that the device is simple in attachment to a door or the like adjacent to the lock thereof. The device of the present invention is so arranged that it may be operated to illuminate the keyhole by the mere preliminary manual act of inserting a key in a facile one-hand operation. To this end the switch which controls the illumination comprises a manual portion which extends entirely about the keyhole plate of the lock so that bringing the hand in which the key is grasped up to the approximate location ofthe lock automatically brings the hand into contact with the control member, no matter in which manner the hand approaches the keyhole and no matter on which side of the keyhole the hand is disposed in the act of bringing the key to the keyhole.

A further object is to provide a simple and highly compact arrangement in a device of this general character wherein the device employs few parts and parts which are readily manufactured and easily and quickly assembled.

The device of the present invention is extremely clean and simple in external design, the only visible part being the illumination operator itself which is of novel form and, besides entirely surrounding the key hole opening, comprises a complete casing closure for the entire device. Thus also the few internal working parts of the device are fully housed and protected against the elements.

A single specic embodiment of the principles of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in the following specication but it is to be understood that such embodiment is by way of example only and that the scope of the present invention is not limited excepting as defined in the appended claims. For instance, the preferred embodiment illustrated herein provides a self-contained lamp energizing source in the form of dry cells housed within the tubes, but it is to be understood that the dry cells may be mounted at another point, such as within the door or at the inside of the door, and in fact the device may be supplied with energy from another source such as the house current supply, which latter may be conveniently accomplished by connecting the device of the present invention to a transformer normally used to power a door bell or the like.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a general elevational view of one form of the device of the present invention shown associated with a door lock of the cylindrical type;

Fig. 2 is a general cross-sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view taken similarly to Fig. l but on a slightly larger scale and with the cover and oper- 10 includes upstanding integrally molded pins 18, 19 and.

mounting means of the device;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 4-4, ofv

Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3; Y

Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective View of a spring clip member for retaining and electrically connecting the pair of dry cells;

Fig. 7 is a detailed perspective view of a spring clip member for connecting the dry cells of a lamp; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a spring clip member' which biases the combined housing and operating member to a non-illuminating position when the device is 'not being used.

Like characters of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing and the numeral 10 designates generally a base plate member which is securable to a door frame or other desired point of attachment. The numeral 11 designates generally a combined housing and operating member which is pivoted to base plate 10 in a manner which will presently appear.

The base plate 10 is attached to a door or the like by means of screws 12 with the cover and operating member 11 removed therefrom, as generally indicated in Fig. 3. Base plate 10 is provided with a pair of concave forms 13 and 14, see Fig. 5, which receive a pair of dry cells 15 and 16. In the present instance the base plate 10 is shown as a plastic molding but it may be a sheet metal stamping or otherwise. ln the illustrated form base plate 20 and a generally C-shaped spring clip 21, which is shown in detail in Fig. 6, is assembled and retained between the pins 18, 19 and 20 as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The looped end portions .of spring clip 21 bear against the adjacent ends of the dry cells 15 and 16 to electrically connect such ends and to cooperate in retaining the dry cells in assembled position.

Similar integral upstanding pins 25, 26, 27 and 28 are provided for receiving therebetween a spring clip member 30 which is shown in detail in Fig. 8. Spring clip 30 bears against the opposite end of dry cell 15 and against the base contact portion of an incandescent lamp 31.

Incandescent lamp 31 in the present instance is of the screw base type and is pressed downwardly between two pairs of upstanding pins 32 which engage the grooves in the threaded portions of the base of the lamp 31 to retain the same against axial displacement. A further spring clip member 34 includes a somewhat at V-shaped base portion 35 which fits into the depressions 13 and 14 beneath the dry cells 15 and 16 and is thus retained by the dry cells. Spring clip 34 includes an angularly extending ange formation 37 which bears against the opposite end of dry cell 16 and an outer loop portion 38 which serves as a resilient biasing member for the cover and operating member 11 and also as a contact member, in a manner which will presently appear.

Housing and operating member 11 comprises-generally a iiat body portion having a curved enclosing ange 4t) at one end, the upper end as illustrated herein, and enclosing side wall or liange portions 41. The lower end of housing and operating member 11 as illustrated herein includes a flat ring formation 42 which is arranged to be concentric with a lock keyhole plate 43 so as to entirely surround the same.

The base member 10 is provided with a transverse opening extending therethrough parallel to the base surface thereof for receiving a hinge pin 45. The side wall formations 41 of housing and operating member 11 are provided with aligned openings which register with the hinge pin opening in base member 10 and the final assembly Parenred'Mar. 1, 19,60A

Y oprtioh@ after basemember 10 has been screwed to a door o r the like, comprises insertion of the hinge pin 45 through the aligned openings of the side walls of housi diametral portion adjacent .one end thereof iutengagement with one of the Side walls 41 to retain thehinge pin against axial displacement.

When housingV member. 11 is.. thus assembled its interior surface engages against'the loopedend 38 of sp1-ingV clip 34 and the lower portion of the housing. member is thus urgedv tor an 'outward position withy the terminal edge of upper ilange 40 engaging against the surface point u pon which. the device iS mounted, as. clearly shown Vin Fig. 2.

When the. lower portion of housing .ll and morespecitically the ring formation 4.2i is pressedtoward the .door loopV 35 engages against the threaded base. of. lamp 3.1 thus establishing an e..,.ct.ri.c.al eircuit including the dry cells l5 and 16 and the lamp 31, all in series.

lf desired the outer tace... oi housing member 1l may be provided with a name tab receiving opening asV at. 47 and a transparent or translucent name tab'48 will thus be illuminated when the circuit of lamp 31 is closed by depressing action. against the lower. portion of hinge rnernber 11,

What we claim is:

1-Y In a. keyhole illmninating device, a relatively hat base member. adapted to be attached to a door or. the like at. a point above a keyhole therein, a vertically elongated housing and. operating member having an upper portion overlying said hase. member and pivoted thereto on a generally horizontal axis parallel` to said .dat base member,

the lower portion of said housing and operating member projecting downwardly from .said base. member to said keyhole in cantilever fashion, and. terminatingv in a ring shaped portion surrounding said keyhole and normally spaced outwardly th'ei'efV om, illuminating Ymeanslmounted on said base member and directed downwardly toward the ring shaped portion of said housing and operating member, and switch means for said illuminating means carried by said base member and operable by movement of said ring shaped portion toward said keyhole to activate said illuminating means.

2. In a keyhole illuminating device, a relatively at base member adapted -to be attached'to a door or the like at -aV point Yabovera keyhole therein, a verticallyelongated housing and operating member having anrupper portion overlying said Vbase member and pivoted thereto on a gen-V erallyl horizontal axis parallel to said flat base member,

.the lower portion of said housing and operating member projecting downwardly fromsaid. base member to said .keyhole in cantilever fashion and terminating in a ring shaped portion surrounding said keyhole, and normally spaced outwardly therefrom illuminating means mounted on said. base member and directed. downwardly toward Vthe ring shaped portion ofrsaid housing and operating member, a resilient member carried by said Ybase member and acting against said housing member to urge the same pivotally outwardly, said resilient member .comprising a switch for said illuminating Ymeans closable by movement of said ringshaped portion toward said keyhole- References Cited in the tile of this patent y UNITED, S'IATES PATENTS 2,254,842 Gray Sept. 2, 1941 2,304,690 Herder' ..k Dec. 8, 1942 2,661,417 Blackburn Dec. l, 19,53

2,816,213 McIntosh V v VDeo. Y10, 19157 EOREIGN. PATENTS 

